Benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) is an age related, natural growth of the prostate, which over time increases the resistance offered by the prostatic gland to the free flow of urine from the bladder to the urethra. The bladder has the ability to contract and generate a voiding pressure, which decreases as the bladder empties. At the point where prostatic resistance is greater than the pressure generated by the bladder, the bladder ceases to evacuate more urine.
In general, the goal of BPH treatment has been to reduce prostatic urethral resistance, primarily by medical management, for example, by administering an alpha blockade or prostatic volume reducer, and secondarily by surgical intervention, for example, by resorting to prostatic resection, laser vaporization, thermal destruction, or injected chemical destruction.
Hence, the ability to remove prostate tissue via volume depletion is a cornerstone of BPH treatment. Chemical ablation, where utilized, will ideally have the ability to destroy tissue and become tissue neutral upon completion of its function.